VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WVEC) — The holiday shopping craze is in full swing and 75,000,000 Americans are expected to spend $7.7 billion on Cyber Monday.
Since this is the “Super Bowl” of online shopping, we're making sure you know how to shop without falling for those cyber scams. We went straight to the cyber-security experts at Regent University.
Stephanie Butts, the executive director for the Institute for Cyber-Security at Regent, showed us the best ways to stay safe as you're making the most of Cyber Monday.
Butts said to be aware of scammers who advertise deep discounts like a legitimate business does. It’s tough to tell the difference, but if it’s too good to be true, then it probably is.
If you fall for it and make a purchase, a scammer could steal your information and you may end up paying for an item you'll never get.
Our expert suggests this "from a home computer perspective, you can disable your pop-up blockers in your internet browser. So, you're not tempted to click on an ad that's ‘too good to be true.’"
Butts continued to share one helpful tip so you can tell the difference between a safe website and not-so-safe website: she said in the upper left corner, where you type in the URL. There should be a little lock. If the lock is “locked,” that means the connection on the website is secure.
"Subsequent to that,” said Butts. “Make sure that you are only entering in the minimal required information to create things like accounts." That means when you’re making a purchase less can be more protective.
Also on social media, you might see apps or suggestions to download an app. Butts advised that you only download apps directly from the store from which you're buying. Thieves are now trying to steal payment information through fake apps.
"Cyber-criminals and bad actors want your information," said Butts.
Lastly, pay for your purchase using a single credit card that offers consumer protection. That way the hacking is isolated to one card and it’ll protect you a little in a worst-case scenario.
"Be vigilant in all of your purchases whether it be traditionally in stores or online," suggested Butts.
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